


We Are Real (15x18 Coda)

by noxsoulmate



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is Saved (Supernatural), Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Coda, Dean Winchester is Protective of Castiel, Destiel Becoming Canon On 5 November 2020 (Supernatural), Destiel is canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, M/M, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, The Empty (Supernatural), the ending we deserve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27633799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxsoulmate/pseuds/noxsoulmate
Summary: 15x18 Coda“As long as I’m alive, you’ll never stay dead. Not truly. Not for long. I will always find a way to bring you back.”When Dean finally makes it to the Empty, convincing Cas to let himself be saved is not as easy as he had thought…
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 17
Kudos: 210
Collections: SPN Finale "Destiel is CANON" Collection





	We Are Real (15x18 Coda)

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my God, it's almost time 😱 with the series finale only hours away, I realized that this is the last possible time for me to write a coda, which I've always wanted to do. I know there are thousands of other fics like this out there by now – but this one sentence from the summary came to me the other day and wouldn't go away 😅 so I wrote all of this down in a little under two hours and here we go.  
> I hope you enjoy it and I hope we will see it all come true tonight – if not, rest easy! At least we know one thing for sure now:
> 
> 💙💚 DESTIEL IS CANON 💚💙
> 
> Don't let anyone take that away from you 😘
> 
> **DeanCas Bingo Card**  
>  _square filled:_ O2 "Hurt/Comfort"  
> 

It didn’t matter _how_ he had gotten here. It didn’t matter how he had found him.

All that mattered was that he was here, that he _had_ found him.

“Dean?”

“Hello, Cas.”

“What… how… What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m saving you.”

“Why– Why would you do that?”

For a moment, Dean thought about calling his angel a dumbass for such a stupid question. Why _wouldn’t_ he do this? Had Cas really thought Dean would let him stay dead? That he would move on and live a happy life, knowing Cas had sacrificed himself for him and was now in the Empty?

One look into Cas’ sad eyes told him… yes, that was _exactly_ what Cas thought.

“What's the matter, Cas?” he asked with a soft smile as he took a step closer. “You don't think you deserve to be saved?”

Cas’ eyes went wide, obviously catching the reference to the words he had spoken to Dean all those years ago. Right after he had gripped him tight and raised him from perdition.

“I… no, I…” Licking his dry lips, Cas was clearly searching for words. “I just… I was under the impression I had to stay dead this time. For good.”

“Cas, buddy. You should know one thing by now,” Dean said, stepping closer yet. So close he could easily grab Cas’ arm. The soft touch had the angel look up, right into his eyes. “As long as I’m alive, you’ll never stay dead. Not truly. Not for long. I will _always_ find a way to bring you back.”

For a moment, there was light in Cas' eyes. A light Dean hadn't seen in a long time.

_Hope._

The light dimmed within a heartbeat.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

It came out as a whisper and cut all the deeper, piercing right through Dean's heart.

“Don’t say that.”

“No, but, Dean… I was prepared to die. I’m… I’m _okay_ with this.”

The worst part about this? Dean could tell that Cas really meant it. He really _was_ okay with being dead – as long as it meant Dean was safe.

“But you think I am?" he challenged, unable to keep all his emotions at bay. 

There was a bit of anger. Anger that Cas had just _left_ him, anger that he had never told him about the deal, anger that he had waited until the last possible second to lay his heart bare.

But mostly, there was desperation.

"You think I’m okay with you just dying on me? You think it’s okay for me to lose my best friend in such a way?" 

Cas' winced at his words but Dean had a hunch it was more about the 'best friend' remark than the accusations in itself. Still, he lowered his voice, softening it.

"You think I'm okay with you telling me all these things and then just leaving me like that?”

"Dean, please–"

"No, Cas. It's my turn to talk. You got to say your piece, now I get to say mine."

There was a tortured expression on Cas' face and he wouldn't look at him. But he also didn't pull away, never claiming his arm back from Dean’s grip, which he took as a good sign.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew they should probably leave this place first. Should probably get Cas to safety before discussing all this. But right now, even in the middle of the Empty, there was nothing more important to Dean than making his angel see the truth.

"You say you know how I see myself – but Cas, I know how you see yourself too. You see yourself as fallen and broken. You feel like you need to bleed for us to be of use, that we only keep you around because your powers are useful to us – which makes _you_ useful to us."

He could see tears glistening in Cas' eyes and damn, he was close to tears again as well.

"You sacrifice yourself for us because you think that's all you're good for. Like it’s the only reason we could possibly want you around."

A single tear was softly running down Cas' cheek and Dean didn't even try to suppress his need to reach for him. When his fingertips touched Cas' skin, the angel visibly jerked in surprise, turning wide and stunned eyes on Dean. Not letting himself be deterred, Dean softly cupped Cas' cheek and wiped away the tear with his thumb. 

"And I know, it's mostly our fault – _my_ fault," he amended. "Because I never bothered to stop and reassure you that none of that is true. I've… I've treated you terribly in the past–"

"That wasn't–"

"I know, Cas. I know some of it wasn't my fault, some of it was Chuck, playing his games with us. But not all. Not all, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll spend the rest of my life reminding you that you're not broken. I'll show you, every day, that we don't keep you around because you're useful – but because we _want_ you around."

His thumb caught the next tear that fell, gently brushing over Cas' cheek.

" _I_ want you around."

Cas broke their eye contact, letting his head hang, gaze turned down. He looked defeated.

"I'm sure you don't–"

"I do," Dean interrupted right away, tilting his head to try and catch Cas' gaze. "Cas, I do."

When Cas still refused to look at him, Dean swallowed. Apparently, he had to spell it out for him.

Then again, so had Cas…

"You were wrong, you know?"

With a shy gaze, head still tilted down, Cas looked up at him.

"You said the one thing you want is something you know you can't have."

Tenderly but also with a sure hand, he cupped Cas' other cheek, lifting his head as he stepped even closer.

"Well, guess what."

He could see Cas' eyes grow wide as he slowly leaned in, tilting his head just enough to catch Cas' lips in the barest, softest brush.

If he had thought his angel would melt into the touch, he would have been severely disappointed. As it was, he had almost expected the frozen posture and shell-shocked look. If the situation wasn't so dire, he might have even laughed.

Pulling back just enough to be able to look back at Cas, Dean still kept his face cradled in his hands.

"You _can_ have it, Cas. Because I want you, too. Not because I need you. Not because you're family. Not because you're my best friend and you always _will be_."

There was that light again. That shimmer in Cas' eyes that told him he finally got it. He finally understood that being Dean’s best friend – his buddy, his pal…

It didn't mean he couldn't also be so much more to him.

The light of hope was shining and Dean never wanted it to dim again.

"I want you too. Because I love you."

A sob broke from Cas' throat but there was also a smile, slowly stealing itself onto Cas' lips.

"I never… I never dared to hope. And when you didn't say it back…"

"Cas, seriously? Death was _literally_ pounding on the door, God was out there ending the world. _You_ just told me you’d made a stupid-ass deal with the Empty and that it would take you away from me the moment you get to be happy. And if that wasn't too much to take on already, you also said all these– these _things_ that no one… no one had ever said to me…"

It was Dean’s turn to cry now, letting the silent tears run freely down his face.

"And to top it all, you finally confessed your love and… and I just… I couldn't…"

He let one of his hands brush down Cas' cheek and to the side of his neck, his fingertips burying into the softness of Cas' hair.

"I didn’t have time to process a single thing and then, you were just… _gone_."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I know I shouldn't have burdened you in such a way. But the Empty–"

"No, Cas, it's alright. Honestly. I know why you did it. I just need you to understand why I didn't say it back. I wanted to. My heart was screaming for me to say something. But all I could think, all my brain let me focus on, was the fact that you were about to _die_. Again! That I was going to lose you. Again. And that, if I told you I love you too, the happiness would only take you quicker."

"I…" Cas began shyly, a small smile pulling at his lips. "I was able to sense that you weren't disappointed or even disgusted by my declaration. It… it was all I needed to feel truly happy."

"Dumbass," Dean replied with affection in his voice. "I'll make sure you soon realize what true happiness _really_ looks like."

When Cas smiled at him, Dean leaned in again, chasing another kiss. This time, Cas timidly reciprocated and the sweet softness of his lips sent waves of warmth through Dean's body, straight to his very soul.

Huffing a shy laugh once the kiss ended, Dean leaned his forehead against Cas', basking in the moment.

"You were right about something else, though," he whispered, stepping impossibly closer yet, winding one of his arms around his angel, while the other hand was still buried in his hair, Cas' own hands sliding around Dean’s hips to carefully hold on.

"What's that?" 

"We _are_ real."

And after a long, long kiss, Dean finally gripped his angel tight and raised him from the Empty...

**Author's Note:**

> Say it with me:
> 
> 💙💚 DESTIEL IS CANON 💚💙
> 
> Biggest thanks to [LunaRavenclaw9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaRavenclaw9) for beta-reading 😘 and to [Admiral_Smoker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Admiral_Smoker) and [Traumzauber](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traumzauber) for alpha-reading and checking if Dean has said all that Cas deserved to _finally_ hear. There's probably more - but rest assured, in this universe, Dean will tell him all that for the rest of their wonderful and happy lives 🥰


End file.
